April showers...

April has been a busy gardening month. When I've been in town, I've been working in the garden planting more seeds and tomato starters. The carrots, lettuce, and swiss chard have all sprouted and the Iris and Columbines have begun to bloom (and they make terrific cut flowers!).

As expected, I've had to spray the hibiscus with soapy water for black aphid control, which seems to have worked well. We’ve received lots of rain (which I’m now tracking on my newly installed rain gauge) which has helped the veggies (and weeds) grow. I need to install a support for the sweet peas and do some more weeding.

I’ve spent two weekends in Knoxville this month and enjoyed the Dogwood Arts trail and local garden centers. The picture above is a peony from one of the Dogwood Arts Festival’s open gardens. Last weekend my mom and I went to Mayo’s and I found two of the heirloom tomato varieties I’ve been looking for; they had a fantastic selection.

So far, the tomatoes I’ve purchased (and planted*) include: Early Girl*, Black Cherry*, Yellow Pear*, Cherokee Purple, and Black Krim. Early Girl is a hybrid red tomato grown for early harvesting (June). Black Cherry is a tiny black/purple tomato that I had success with last year.

Yellow Pear is another cherry tomato variety. I’ve never grown this variety before but I’m eager to taste test, as some tomato eaters prefer yellows. I’ve also never grown Cherokee Purple or Black Krim before, which are both large dark red/burgundy heirloom varieties.

A Roma (for homemade pizzas) and maybe a red beefsteak will round off my tomato acquisitions for the year. I’m also looking to purchase hot and sweet peppers, and more herbs including tarragon, sage, and oregano. The goal: to grow as much of my own produce and herbs as possible.

Spring, Seeds, and Squirrels

Petals of the Bradford Pear trees are falling like snowflakes and spring’s baton has been passed on to the tulips, phlox, and dogwoods. Nearly all trees and shrubs have started leafing out. Two of my favorite perennials have started coming up and I patiently wait for their flowers, the peony (Paeonia) and wild indigo (Baptisia).

Peonies can easily be weighed down by their gigantic blooms, and I had decided to stake mine this year to be as efficient as possible with planting bed space. But before I could buy a support, I found something around the house I could use. An old iron plant stand with a scroll work top works perfectly!

There is still no sign of germination in my carrots, lettuce, or Swiss Chard. With good weather predicted, I hope to be spending lots of time in the garden this weekend. I’ll be planting more seeds: Sugar Snap Peas, bush beans, and the first rounds of parsley and chives. As well as more weeding and bed prep for future veggie planting.

Working in the narrow planting bed between my driveway and the property line fence, I noticed that my mint has become out of control. If anyone would like some mint of their own, please let me know! I have more than enough to share, but I would recommend planting it in a pot of otherwise contained area as it is AGGRESSIVE.

A new garden challenge of sorts arose last week; squirrels have figured out how to access the bird feeder. While squirrels don’t bother me that much, I would prefer they leave the bird’s food alone. So I’ve devised a plan, I’m going to add red pepper flakes to the bird food. This should discourage the squirrels without harming the birds.

Happy gardening everyone!

*The above image is the front of the Sugar Snap Pea seed packet from Botanical Interests. They are a great source for all things seed and have a wide selection of organic seed too. Lucky for me, I have found their seeds at my favorite local garden shop, Moore & Moore.

sowing seeds & spotting turkeys

The first round of lettuce, carrots, and Swiss Chard seeds are planted! I’m eager to see how they perform, my goal is to have several months of salads right from the garden. All in all, it was an extremely productive weekend in the garden; I even pruned up the euonymus hedge and cut back my large butterfly bush considerably.

The lettuce I planted is the Black Seeded Simpson Variety which is known as a fast lettuce that withstands some frost, heat, and draught; it also bolts late. Mature at 40 days (April 29th), this variety can be harvested as early as 3 weeks (April 10th). The last sowing should occur 2 weeks before the last frost (October 1st).

An heirloom carrot, Scarlet Nantes is prized for its sweet flavor, crisp texture, and ease of growth in more challenging soils. Maturing at 65 days (May 24th), this variety can be planted up until the end July for fall harvest. I plan to plant several rounds of the carrots as well, space permitting.

Reading through Alton Brown’s cookbook, Good Eats 2, I discovered that Swiss Chard is actually in the beet family, though it is grown exclusively for its colorful, flavorful foliage. My row will be ready in 52 days (May 11th) and can be re-seeded up to 2 months before the first frost, or the middle of August.

One morning this week we had the most surprising visitors walking through the neighborhood...wild turkeys! They were really beautiful, and quite large. I'm feeling more like an urban farmer all the time.